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The Secret Journal of Dr.Artimus Rhodes
The Secret Journal of Dr. Artimus Rhodes is a 17 page online book chronicling Dr. Artimus Rhodes journey to find the lost city of Atlantis. Full Story 8th of August, 1919 :Looking for Adventure? Want to solve the best mystery in history? Are you as brave as I? Not possible! For I am the great Dr. Artimus Rhodes! And you, Dear Reader, are not. Perhaps this journal now sits behind glass in a museum, celebrating the glory of the spectacular Dr. Artimus Rhodes! Or perhaps I have vanished in the vast ocean deeps, my true fate a mystery vexing the greatest scholars in history. If so, Dear Reader, you now hold a clue to continue my quest and find... The Lost City of Atlantis! Yes, you read that correctly. Pinch yourself. You're not dreaming. Atlantis is real! At least I hope it is. :This journal chronicles my epic journey into the deep, to find the legendary City of Gold! City of Riches! City of... Hold on a tick, won't you? I must visit the potty. Alright, I'm back. Where was I? Ah yes... City of Dreams! 15th of August, 1919 :I depart for Atlantis in two days. So much to do! Pack clothes, water plants, make sandwiches... My excitement can hardly be put into words! Consider yourself lucky, Dear Reader, for I have kept my search for Atlantis a secret... until now. All my knowledge is now at your fortunate fingertips. :Five days ago, I discovered a tiny pyramid on a small island south of Mexico. Deciphering its hieroglyphs, I deducted that it was a map to Atlantis! Also, someone had written "Map to Atlantis" all over it. Surely nothing could deter me now! Nothing except hungry sharks. Dear Reader, even the mere thought of sharks gives me the heebie-jeebies. It's those pointy teeth, you know? I dearly hope I shan't encounter sharks. If I do, I shall be all, "Aaah! Sharks! Get them away I say! Aaaaaaaaah! 16th of August, 1919 :Tomorrow morning I set sail! You envy me don't you? You can admit it. It's okay. I'd envy me too if I weren't already me! This journey is twelve years in the making... My family fortune spent. Top engineers hired to fabricate my spectacular underwater submersible in utmost secrecy, so that none would suspect. Although, I probably shouldn't have painted the name "Atlantis Finder" on the side of my submersible. A dead giveaway, perhaps. Oh well... :Tonight I phone my devoted laboratory assistant, Ms. Samantha Morris. She says the weather and seas are perfect for tomorrow's voyage. But not even dear Ms. Morris knows of my true mission. I can trust no one, only my own brilliant brain. 17th of August, 1919 :Launch day is upon me! Dear Reader, my hand shakes as I write these words. Today we set sail! Huzah!!! My steamer ship heads due East across the Atlantic. According to the coordinates, we shall reach the dive site in a matter of weeks. Atlantis awaits! :To protect my secret, I have told the crew and Ms. Morris that I'm descending into the murky depths to study coral. Strangely, Ms. Morris filled my air tanks with 24 hours of oxygen when I only requested 7. Perhaps the dear thing is worried for my safety. But I've planned for every eventuality! In addition to my watertight suit, patented breathing apparatus and my very expensive custom submersible, I've perfected underwater journal writing technology. I draw my design so you can observe how my writing is kept dry via glass sphere. Underwater journal writers of the future shall thank me! And they are welcome! 13th of September, 1919 :10:42 AM - Four weeks passed. The steamer has reached the dive site. I would have written more, but a seagull stole my pen and it took me weeks to locate my spare. Ms. Morris found it in my rear trouser pocket. What was it doing there?! :3:23 PM - I suit up and enter the "Atlantis Finder". Hmm... I really should have rethought that name. I am to descend into history and find the Lost City of - Oops, just a moment. I must visit the potty. Won't take a minute... :3:28 PM - Now I'm ready to - oh dear. Mustn't forget to wash my hands... :3:31 PM - Hands squeaky clean. Completely ready now! Wish me luck, Dear Reader, for I shan't write again until I am beneath the sea! :8:30 PM - Guess who's under the sea? Me! 40m below sea level! The journal writing apparatus works. Yikes!! Almost crashed into a pirate ship. Who put that thing there? :10:15 PM - Have now descended 400m below the surface. Faint Moonlight illuminates the ocean as I eat a tuna fish sandwich. Perhaps I should have listened to Ms. Morris and brought a pickle. And milk. I would dearly love a spot of milk. I consult the map and discover that it is glowing. Mysterious, but likely a good sign. My submersible now hovers above an extinct volcano. Perhaps the very same volcano that caused Atlantis to sink into the sea 3,000 years ago. I turn on my vessel's headlights and descend... 14th of September, 1919 :1:52 AM - Reader, this murky volcano is totally creepy, but I did encounter a friendly giant crab a short while ago. I knew it was friendly because it tried to offer my submersible a cordial handshake with its giant armored claw. Unfortunately I entered the volcano before I could greet it properly. I hope I didn't hurt the old boy's feelings. Or old girl's. Hmmm.. :2:30 AM - As I descend past the 1200m mark, my vessel's lights reveal the smooth and sandy sea bottom. But what's that up ahead? Perchance could they be ancient ruins I spy? Is this the Lost City already?! Golly that was fast! :2:48 AM - Alas, merely a formation of caves. What a disappointment. Wait. What's that swimming towards me? :3:10 AM - Dear Reader, I have truly had an incredible encounter. Strange red people with faces and tentacles of an octopus approaches me! I hereby name them Squid People because "Octopus People" just sounds silly. When I tried asking them about Atlantis they started smashing my vessel with their tridents. Nice. I fired a harpoon and delayed them with a rockslide. I then hid in this tiny cave. My mission is going less well than I anticipated. :4:53 AM - Shhhh! Read quietly! I am observing the Squid People asleep in their... Squid Temple, I guess you might call it. They're actually sort of cute when they're just lying there, not trying to destroy my expensive submersible and expose my fragile body to the crushing pressures of the deep sea. I carefully traverse the temple, which glows bright enough for me to turn my lamps off. The temple is fantastic, beautiful... and squiddish. Here are some sketches. :5:19 AM - Stopped moving. I light my lamps to discover my propellers are tangled in seaweed! I must leave the safety of my submersible! :5:45 AM - I had only just finished removing seaweed when I was attacked! And not by Squid people! By Manta Ray people with mean manta faces and pointy tridents! They dragged me down towards a lava geyser! I struggled back to me submersible by engaging my suit's foot-propellers. This startled them and I made it back inside my vessel - only to discover that one of the Manta Men followed me in! This monster (which I shall call Manny) was about to attack me when he smelled my half-eaten tuna sandwich. He devoured it, crust and all, though I could tell he wished it had some pickles in it. I should have definitely listened to Ms. Morris about pickles. And milk. Ah, well... :Dear Reader, as I write this, I float towards a new structure. As I struggle to make out what it is, my uninvited co-pilot, Manny noisily devours his fourth sandwich. I worry if his fifth sandwich will be Dr. Artimus on rye. I would probably be a spectacular sandwich, but I just don't approve. I hardly have time to think (or write) such thoughts when something horrible looms in front of my submersible. Criminy I say! Tis a shark!!! A GIANT SHARK! Covered in strange, glowing markings, but more importantly - it's attacking my sub! I must stop writing and start panicking! Manny escapes with a vile tuna-fishy burp as water floods the cabin! The Giant Shark rips my sub in half! Egads! How am I still writing this?!? :6:42 AM - My prized (and very expensive) submersible is no more. How will I return to the surface now? My suit propels me far from the shark, towards yet another underwater temple, this one carved with statues of sharks and inscriptions of sharks and shark symbols. I suspect I know what type of sea-people I shall encounter next. :9:38 AM - Captured! I was right about the Shark People, of course. I'm always right. (Once I thought I was wrong, but I was mistaken.) Now I am imprisoned in a deep dungeon! All hope lost! I'll never find Atlantis, and it looks like I may be a permanent resident of Shark Temple Resort. Trapped at the bottom of the sea with little air, no pickles, no submersible and no friends. What shall become of my genius?! Pity me, Dear Reader. Pity me. Thank you, you are most kind. But wait, what is that sound? A baby crying? No, a baby giant squid! In the cell beneath me! It is tied down with chains of seaweed. I swim lower and pet what I assume is the poor creature's head and it begins to relax. I shall call it "Squiddy", after my childhood pet gerbil. What cruel fate do these shark creatures have in mind for poor Squiddy? Whatever it is, I will not stand for it! Using my foot propellers, I cut his chains. He places me on his back and smashes us through the wall! Freedom! :10:02 AM - A school of Shark Men pursues us! Clever Squiddy squirts an ink cloud in their faces. I grab a trident as Squiddy launches us so fast that I can barely hold on! We escape the Shark People! But now find ourselves surrounded my Manta People! By Neptune's soggy beard, will our sorrows never end?! I try to hold them off with my trident, but they ensnare Squiddy! And just when I think we're done for, we're rescued by... The giant shark?! Yes! The gilly beast rockets into view, scattering the mantas in fishy terror! I free Squiddy and, keeping just ahead of the shark's toothy jaws, we swim safely to the Squid cave. Squiddy seems to travel here instinctively. Perhaps it is his home? :11:45 AM - I happily return brave Squiddy to his people and begin my ascent. I would have appreciated a small reward of Atlantean treasure or a spare jar of pickles, but the knowledge of the Squid People's certain gratitude will have to suffice. Now I can only hope I have enough air left to reach the surface. Then, suddenly I am dragged downwards! Rather than thanking me for saving Squiddy, the Squid people seem to be punishing me for taking their guardian. In the struggle my pyramid map floats out of sight! Is this the end of Dr. Artimus Rhodes, Dear Reader? Will the world forever be bereft of my genius? :As I sink to an unknown fate, I pen the final page of this journal and prepare to set it loose inside its protective dome. Will some later generation discover this journal and use my recorded wisdom to outwit these strange creatures and discover Atlantis for themselves? If so, they'd better give me some of the credit! This is the amazing Dr. Artimus Rhodes, bidding you, Dear Reader, a fond farewell. Remember my greatness! Always! Promise? Thanks. :12:18 PM - Oh dear! What's that falling from above? 14th of March, 1925 :To the Readers of this Journal: This is not Dr. Artimus Rhodes. Despite what you may have read, Dr. Rhodes was not lost to the ocean depths. Instead, he was struck on the head by our ship's anchor and blacked out. Fortunately, his watertight suit rose to the surface and we were able to fish him out. When he regained consciousness, with nothing worse than a bump on the head and an odd craving for pickles, Dr. Rhodes remembered nothing of his perilous journey beneath the waves. While he would not speak a word of it, we knew he was searching for Atlantis. It was written right on the side of his submersible, after all. A dead giveaway. Though he could not recall his dangerous odyssey, Dr. Rhodes was so relieved to be rescued that he proposed marriage to me on the spot! I always fancied him, so I said yes. I am his former laboratory assistant, Mrs. Samantha Morris-Rhodes. :I bet you're wondering how I got his journal back. Well, you might not believe it if I told you... but a tentacle deposited both the journal and the pyramid map upon the deck of out ship as we prepared to leave Atlantic waters! :I have not told dear Artimus about it. He would surely seek the treasure again if he knew how close he had come, and I love him too dearly to risk losing him again. Instead, I shall keep the map and journal safe for the next generation of ocean explorers. Perhaps some day in the future, Brave Reader, you will read the words above and decide if you have the courage to battle the monstrous guardians of the deep and find of the Lost City of Atlantis. 4th of October, 1991 :This is Samantha Morris-Rhodes again. It's been sixty six years ago since I last wrote. I write to you great granddaughter, Samantha, who was named after me. When you were a baby, you held the pyramid map and it glowed in your hand. I leave this book to you, for I now believe you are destined to find Atlantis, if you dare. Good luck, my sweet granddaughter. Just don't tell Grandpa Artimus! He'll want to come along!" Appearances Characters * Dr. Artimus Rhodes * Samantha Moriss-Rhodes * Samantha Artisius Rhodes * Squid Warriors * Squiddy * Shark Warriors * Manta Warriors * Manny Creatures * Giant Shark * Giant Crab Objects * Pyramid map to Atlantis * Artimus's Watertight Suit * Artimus's Underwater Journal Writer Weapons * Trident Landmarks * Squid Temple * Extinct Volcano * The City of Atlantis * Portal of Atlantis Vehicles * Atlantis Finder Trivia * It is possible Artimus had seen the Portal of Atlantis, because a picture of the Shark Mouth Cave was shown, and he mentions Shark Statues. Category:Dr.Artimus Rhodes Journal